The past few years has been a period of considerable challenge for financial advice firms, as legislative and regulatory changes have affected the running of successful businesses both in the UK and abroad.
This has created an environment in which financial advisers have been extremely busy – or ‘time challenged’, as they say.
This fast pace of the life is not confined to IFAs, of course, it is indicative of the entrepreneurial world in general. As a result, business leaders can often find that they become so caught up in the day-to-day running, planning and growth of their businesses that they can lose sight of their financial planning needs or it can simply get left behind.
Which is where international financial advice firms can step in, to offer the most appropriate solution for their particular circumstances and to ensure they have the right financial plan, insurance cover etc in place, no matter in which jurisdiction they are working.
What is important for these busy people is to have a financial adviser that they can trust, who is regulated in the domicile in which they live or work and who can ensure their financial plan is kept up-to-date and relevant to their current lifestyle and future plans.
One way for advisers to engage with this group of potential clients is by sponsoring and attending key events, such as conferences and seminars and undertaking practical workshop presentations. This requires considerable preparation, as well as an affinity with and an ongoing dedication and financial commitment to the group in question.
At Guardian Wealth Management, for example, we have focused for a number of years on serving women entrepreneurs and we have spoken at numerous International Women’s Association events, and similar conferences, around the globe. This has included sponsoring the annual WIN (Women’s International Network) conference.
This year we are sponsoring the 360 Entrepreneurship Summit, which takes place in September in Malmo, Sweden. The Summit is a platform for bringing together European women entrepreneurs and business owners where they can connect, promote and improve their entrepreneurial skills.
We will be presenting a practical workshop at the event. This type of service is what busy, intelligent people want – specialist advice presented in a focused and concise manner.
A strategy of sponsorship and devising seminars for a specific clientele is a sound basis on which to build a presence in the international market. As I have indicated, it does not come cheap, but get it right and you can keep the clients for life no matter where in the world they live or work.
